The present invention relates to the field of document management. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved document folder specially adapted for use with conventional printers and optical scanners, eliminating the need for separately printed folder labels, document labels and document separators. The present invention also relates to the system and method for printing and using the improved folder.
Organizations which require significant amounts of paperwork employ a variety of document filing methods in order to easily access this paperwork. The basic document filing method utilizes folders constructed of heavy paper or cardboard, each of which stores a set of related documents. For example, a medical office might store documents pertaining to an individual patient in a single folder. A bank might store documents pertaining to a specific loan account in a single folder. These folders are maintained side-by-side on a shelf or in a container, such as a file drawer. The folders are typically ordered sequentially on the shelf or in the container according to some convenient scheme, for example alphabetically by last name or numerically by social security number. The folders are labeled according to the chosen sequence for ease of filing, that is the location, retrieval and storage of document folders.
The document management industry has long offered various document folders and methods of labeling these folders to streamline the document filing process. For example, a folder can be pre-printed with identifying categories such as NAME, SUBJECT and FILE NUMBER. Specific identifying information can then be handwritten on the folder according to these categories or an appropriate printed label can be applied. Hand-labeling folders, however, is labor intensive. Further, location of a specific folder requires reading the identifying information on several folders until the desired folder is located.
Color-coded folders are offered to assist the folder filing process. A specific color can be designated to correspond to a particular category of documents. For example, a bank might use yellow folders corresponding to loan documents, blue folders corresponding to savings accounts, etc. Such color coding allows categories of documents to be quickly filed without the need to read and search for specific folder identifying information. This filing system, however, also requires handwritten identification of specific folders. Another drawback to pre-printed and colored folders is the need to maintain an inventory of each unique type of folder. More folder types facilitate filing but increase inventory requirements.
Color-coded labels are offered which can be applied to a folder tab. A tab is the extended portion of the folder used for sight reference when folders are stored in sequence and serves the same purpose as a book spine. The tab is located to be visible when the folder is stored alongside other folders on a shelf or in a container. A drawback to this folder identification scheme, however, is that the application of the color-coded labels is labor-intensive. Also, manually folded and applied labels are prone to misregistration on the folder tab. These drawbacks become more pronounced as the number of folders in this type of filing system increases.
In addition to efficient document filing methods, the document management industry has offered so-called paperless systems which reduce or eliminate the need to handle physical documents. Image capture systems either photograph documents, storing the documents as micrographic images, or scan documents, storing the documents as digital images on a mass storage device such as compact disk, read-only memory (CD-ROM). A collection of stored document images forms an image database equivalent to a document filing system.
As in any database system, efficient image database access requires an indexing method, much like an index in the back of a book allows quick location of information within the book. An image database is often indexed by attaching a xe2x80x9cdocument labelxe2x80x9d printed with a unique document identifier to the first page of each document. For example, if the document relates to an individual""s file, the document identifier may be the individual""s social security number (SSN) concatenated with an abbreviation representing the type of document. Specifically, if a loan application (LA) was filed by an individual with the SSN 012-34-5678, the document label attached to the loan application might be printed with the identifier xe2x80x9c012345678LA.xe2x80x9d The database index can then simply reference that document by that identifier. The identifier is typically printed in xe2x80x9cmachine-recognizablexe2x80x9d form, such as bar codes or optical character recognition (OCR) fonts, along with text.
Another use for document labels is for xe2x80x9celement verification,xe2x80x9d i.e. verification that all documents which belong in a folder are present. Without document labels, element verification is often done manually. A manual element verification system might have each document which should be in a folder listed on the folder front panel. Verification would consist of checking-off each document on the list if it is contained in the folder. If document labels are used, a bar code wand interfaced to a computer can be used to scan the label of each document in a folder. A computer software routine would then automatically verify the index values read from the document labels against a computerized list of documents.
For new files, element verification is used to determine when a folder contains a complete set of documents. In the banking industry, for example, element verification might be used to determine if all documents necessary to evaluate a home loan have been received: the application, credit reports, appraisals, etc. For existing files, element verification serves an auditing function, i.e. verification that no documents are lost or misplaced. Using a banking industry example again, element verification might be used to audit the documentation for various home mortgages prior to sale of the mortgages to another financial institution.
A drawback to image capture systems and automated element verification systems is that document preparation is difficult and labor intensive. Separately printed document labels must first be matched to a specific folder and then to the documents in that folder. These two matching processes are time consuming and complicated by the fact that the document and tab labels are typically generated by different printing processes, adding the step of first matching a tab label to a specific folder. A further drawback to image capture systems is that, typically, all documents to be photographed or scanned are first separated from their folders. The documents are then processed in mass with the documents from each folder being separated by single sheets, called xe2x80x9cdocument separators.xe2x80x9d The document separators have a bar code label with a xe2x80x9cnullxe2x80x9d value not corresponding to any document label bar code values and located at a specific location. The document separators are recognized by the scanning system as indications of the end of the documents associated with one folder and the beginning of the documents associated with another folder. In this manner, the document images from each folder are kept separate. Typically, however, the document separator itself conveys no other information to the scanning system. That is, the scanning system must read the document page following the document separator in order to identify the folder associated with the next documents to be processed. Ultimately, the documents must be manually reunited with their folders, and documents can be inadvertently placed in the wrong folder with potentially catastrophic results. Another drawback is that a complete set of document labels is typically printed for each folder in a file. Many folders, however, might contain only a small subset of documents, wasting the bulk of the pre-printed labels.
The present invention is directed to an improved file folder specially adapted to conventional printers and optical scanners, eliminating the need for separately printed folder labels, document labels and document separators. The folder of the present invention is configured with connected front and back panels creating an enclosure in which documents are contained. The front panel on the improved folder has an integrated tab printed with folder specific identifying indicia and then folded such that the indicia are visible from both sides of the folder. This integrated tab eliminates the need to match a separate tab label to a specific folder and to manually apply the label to the folder tab.
In another embodiment of the invention, an improved folder has a panel with adhesive backing affixed to a release liner. Removable labels are die-cut in portions of the panel. These labels can be printed, removed from the panel and attached to documents which are placed in the folder. Because these integrated document labels are printed directly on the folder containing the documents to be labeled, there is no need to manually match document labels to a specific folder. Further, the printing is simplified because folder and document identifying indicia are printed at the same time by the same printing process.
The present invention is also directed to a system for printing the improved folder. A preferred embodiment of the printing system consists of a database, a print pattern, a computer and a printer interfaced to the computer. The computer accesses the database for information associating a database entry for a specific folder to an alphanumeric identifier. The computer also executes a print pattern routine which merges the identifier for each particular folder into a set of printer commands and data common to each folder. The printer has a feeder which guides a blank folder through a printing mechanism which imprints identifying indicia on the folder. The folder is printed according to the print pattern sent to the printer via the computer interface. After printing, the printer ejects the printed folder.
The present invention also is directed to a method of using the improved folder. For a specific filing application, the physical configuration of a folder, including the folder size, tab size and location, and document label quantities and sizes is first determined. Next, a pattern for printing document labels, tab and folder indicia on the blank folder is designed. The pattern is a general set of printer commands and data customized for a specific application. Once information about a folder and the documents to be contained within are known, the pattern is completed and a specific folder is printed. The folder is then assembled and the printed tab is folded so that the folder identifying indicia are visible from both sides of the folder. Finally, the documents are placed into the folder and the folder is stored.
As part of the filing process, the folder documents can be advantageously scanned as part of the image capture process. To prepare the documents for scanning, a folder is configured with document labels corresponding to each separately identified document. Machine-readable identifying indicia are then printed on each label. During this printing process, a document separator value is printed on a folder panel, identifying the folder to the scanning system as a document separator. The labels are removed and affixed to the first page of each document. All documents associated with a particular folder are then scanned, with the associated folder being scanned last to separate these folder documents from other folder documents. Finally, the scanned documents are placed within the scanned folder and the folder is stored.